Ahriman of the Thousand Sons
by Changer of Ways
Summary: An account of Ahriman and his rise to power as told by one who walked in his shadow
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Interrogation

The dungeons of the Inquisition had achieved universal infamy throughout the galaxy, hated and feared even by devout adherents to the imperial creed. It was in one such dungeon that Odirion found himself. His punishment would be death, the manner was somewhat of a mystery, while the Imperium of man had not made any notable advancement technologically or socially for literally thousands of years the inquisition always seemed to manage to find new ways to torture and kill. More then likely they would kill him, burn his flesh and put what remained on public display, if he was lucky, _very_ lucky, they'd do it in that order.

Odirion's battle scarred blue and gold power armour had been removed quite brutally, and there were large scars and areas of puckered flesh where portions of his armour that had been embedded in his flesh had been torn out. Odirion shivered, in spite of the hellish heat that flooded through the chamber. The fallen sorcerer of the Thousand Sons now looked pitifully into the warp, seeking solace in the eternal river of the immaterium, which was not bound by the walls of this inquisitorial fortress. His mind flew freely across the stars, he was pleased to see that his comrades were grieving for him, they knew he was a prisoner, consequently, they knew he was lost. _Damn right,_ he thought, _if I'm going to be dragged through hell by some inquisitor's lackeys someone had better notice. _

So engaged was he in his meditation that Odirion barely noticed when two of his captors entered the room. Odirion looked up at the two figures. One was a woman, a high-ranking member of the Adeptus Sororitas judging by an assortment of medals and purity seals adorning her shining silver breastplate which was moulded to fit her beautifully curved form. She had a strange air of youth and innocence about her; granted, it certainly wasn't expressed by her face, which scowled disdainfully at the heretic sorcerer. Probably something Odirion had sensed in her mind, _odd, _he thought, _most inquisitors have seen things terrible enough to turn a man's blood to ice._

The other figure was a hulking silver clad space marine, carrying a massive sword radiating with psychic energy. Odirion involuntarily swallowed anxiously. The two figures waited for the longest time, letting premonitions of his impending doom flood through the heretic's mind. At last, the woman spoke "Odirion of the Thousand Sons"

"I am he"

"You are a dead man."

"Not letting me off easy then?"

"That depends," a cold smile appeared on the woman's face, "if you are willing to cooperate."

Odirion shrugged and straightened himself, trying to salvage what remained of his dignity. "How can I be of service to our most esteemed corpse god."

The grey knight was upon Odirion like lightning. "How DARE you speak such blasphemy of our emperor scum!" he shouted between heavy blows.

The woman shot her companion a harsh glance and he withdrew, leaving Odirion battered and bleeding in several places "Now," she said, "what do you know about Ahriman."

Odirion shook his head; "I had the honour of serving in his cabal since before the Horace Heresy, what you want to know."

"Everything," she said flatly.

The Grey Knight was visibly startled, "Faust, I shall not stand for this heretic to speak his blasphemy within these halls."

Without looking at her companion the woman replied, "My faith is strong, Hablion, strong enough to endure whatever heresy this man may speak."

Hablion growled menacingly, "Why" is all he managed to say.

"You must know your enemy to defeat them Justicar, whatever this heretic may tell us is of value."

Odirion, who had kept silent until now spoke, "you have a good heart, Faust, if a little misguided." Faust's fists clenched almost involuntarily, "Very well then…

_To make any sense I suppose I should start with the beginning. Much is known about Ahriman, but most is hearsay and myth. Many have seen his handiwork, the dreaded automaton ghost-warriors of our legion. Many worlds we have raided and many sons and daughters bearing the blessings of the gods we have taken into our number. I knew Ahriman since before that. So listen close ye deluded servants of the False Emperor of mankind for this is the Tale of Ahriman of the Thousand Sons, told by one who walked in his shadow._


	2. Chapter 2

I'll take this time to respond to the comments I've gotten thus far on this story, theres probably a better way to do this but in any event i havnt found it. First of all I'd like to say I am happy to see I've gotten no hate spams, this can either mean that I'm doing something right or that i'm beneath contempt. Anywhoo

Maugen- Thanks for the comment, being the first to do so you win a free flamer of Tzeentch. I'll fedex him as soon as i get a chance, does anyone know their policy on transporting live, pyromaniac daemons?

Gutsu- Interesting, I've been trying to find the DoW books but they have, unfortunately eluded me. I dont plan to make any mention of the Blood Ravens short of maybe a footnote so my my utter lack of knowledge about them shouldnt be a problem.

Emperor Bass- Fear not, I do plan to finish The Changebringer Chronicles, but i just dont feel comfortable not having half a dozen projects going at once.

* * *

Chapter 2: Trial by Fire

Odirion struggled to get comfortable in his cell, not an easy task, the cold gaze of the two inquisitors made him uneasy. "Put your tongue to use, heretic, or I may be forced to tear it out," Hablion snarled.

Faust held up one had to silence her companion, "You may continue, Odirion."

The sorcerer collected his thoughts:

* * *

Ahriman and I had never crossed paths in any meaningful way before the council of Nikaea, but I knew quite well of his work. Prospero, you see is… was… such a small world and news travelled fast. We did not meet in the most pleasurable of circumstances. Our Lord Magnus had been summoned to some insignificant little rock called Nikaea to defend the practice of sorcery against those Neanderthals Mortarion and Russ. He called a council his finest librarians and psykers with hopes of displaying how we were paragons of the new imperial soldier; a cunning warrior, loyal and stalwart towards the then living tyrant emperor and his creed and able to strike down the enemies of man with his mind alone. Magnus urged us nine psykers to become acquainted with each other during our voyage if we hadn't already. Even then, Magnus might have known that our lives would be hopelessly entangled.

It is odd, but I never forgot the first conversation we had, there was something strange about his manner, he greeted my like an old friend the first time we met. "Do you know," he said after some time, "that Nikaea is the closest planet to our own that would absolutely _require_ us to utilize warp travel to reach it?"

Somewhat curious as to why he brought up this bit of trivia I asked, "You don't suppose they expect us to get caught in a storm and be done with us then and there do you?"

Ahriman laughed heartily, "I wish that wasn't such a plausible explanation. There may be a grain of truth in that, this region is, after all so close to the Eye of terror."

"Are we really so close?"

"I believe it should be visible to the naked eye," he showed me to a view port. That was the first time I had ever seen the eye. I cannot say I knew what to make of it; the eye was, and indeed is, such a fantastic sight. Far larger then anything else in the galaxy, save perhaps for an Eldar's ego.

_Odirion's comment drew blank stares from his two interrogators, "Its an expression we use," the prisoner clarified, "I suppose it just hasn't caught on yet. But I digress, where was I."_

Ahriman starred at the swirling mass of colour for what might have been an eternity. At last he said, "You know, any two men will look at that, and see something they don't understand. But there are some who look at it and see a miracle, a sign, a prophecy that no matter what there is someone watching out for us. And that fills them with hope. There are also those who see that same storm, the same eye of terror and they see something that is suspicious, something beyond their control and therefore something they must destroy. But what little they know of the Eye of Terror tells them that it cannot be destroyed, that it is something that will remain forever in creation, here to stay. And that fills them with fear."

"The emperor, which do you suppose he is?"

"The emperor," Ahriman was visibly shaken, "wishes to hold this entire galaxy within his grasp, I doubt that he will not be vexed by the eye because he cannot control it, just as he cannot bind the warp to his power, the emperor will not see reason, Magnus realizes that this is a fool's errand, that we go not to our trials but to our executions. All that we have left to do is accept whatever punishment we are dealt and win whatever hearts and minds we can at the council." That was my first encounter with the seed of heresy, the first time I had ever heard a word spoken against the Imperium. Strangely, it felt right to listen to him, even then. A klaxon blared its warning from somewhere on the ship signalling that we would soon be entering warp-space. "But don't listen to me, no one can predict the future that is unwritten. After all," he gave a slight smile, "it's the lost causes that are worth fighting for."


	3. Chapter 3

I hope all my readers like this chapter. I can't stress how awkward it is for me to write in 1st person. This is sorta a bet i have with a friend who claims that its more difficult to do so. This story is a matter of pride damnit! To those who are interested I havnt given up on "The Changebringer Chronicals" and i refuse to scrap that project until Sera and Logan are officially a footnote in some kind of Games Workshop publication, or i run out of creative ways for Gaurdsmen to bite the dust.

Maugen, I regret to inform you that the Flamer i promised you was involved in a plane crash on a desert island. To my knowledge the poor guy is now stranded with Tom Hanks and a volleyball with a bloodstain on it. As to the thing about Odirion's Interrogators i realize now that u've got a point. Granted i think some of the Sisters of Battle Heroines are considered "Inquisitors" of a sort but the Grey Knight Justicar definately doesnt fit the bill.

On that same note i just need to clear something up, a justicar is a Grey Knights Sergent/minor officer right? or is he something bigger?

Cheers!

-_Changer of Ways_

* * *

Chapter 3: The Crucible 

Odirion studied his two captors. Faust's face betrayed no sense of concern but in her mind she was beginning to show the first vestiges of doubt, chinks in the otherwise impregnable bulwark of her faith. Pleasing visions of her tearing off the vestments that marked her as a servant of the emperor danced in Odirion's mind, granted these thoughts might have had a basis far removed from the perpetuation of chaos worship. Justicar Hablion was another matter altogether, his faith remained as solid as the region between his ears. "The council, heretic," Hablion growled, "get on with it, I grow weary of you're depraved ravings."

"Ravings, brother marine, are what you would have gotten from a captured World Eater, or Chaos spawn, I merely speak the truth."

"Perhaps," heretic, "my weapon and I ought to show you what we think of your truth."

"Of course, brother, Gods know I wouldn't want to anger my soon to be executioner. Very well then, where was I?"

* * *

The council was a remarkable event; even after all I have seen I am convinced that were I to visit the council again, I would still be dumbstruck. The twenty primarchs and even the emperor himself attended the council. Twenty-one men each of whom could quench the lives of untold billions with but a single order. 

"_Was the great betrayer, was Horus there?" Faust asked, almost enraptured by Odirion's tale._

"_Aye, but it was obvious he did not wish to be. Horus… did not wish to meddle in politics, particularly while the great crusade was at its height."_

After some time the Emperor of mankind called the council to order. Leman Russ was the first of the primarchs to speak. Even then I loathed him, he was a man who marked himself quite clearly as a savage. "Brothers, we gather here today, on this sacred ground to determine our course of action regarding the most dire of challenges to plague our most majestic domains: Mutation, and among the very paragons of humankind, the mighty Adeptus Astartes. Many of our number have fallen into this mutation and developed frightening psychic powers…"

"Likes to hear himself talk, that one does," Ahriman whispered to me wryly.

"…Yet there are those, even at this council, who would strive to harness this corruption, even go so far as to delve into sorcery. Is this what has become of our Imperium? Are we to stand idly by as there are those among us who would walk hand in hand with the forces of Disorder? I say that we will not, I say that we will mete out glorious retribution to the heathen wizard and sorcerer. These mutants crave the cleansing touch of death, they are no longer human but something else all together, souls trapped in warped and twisted bodies. I say that we shall set them free."

"I think he means _you_," I said to Ahriman.

"What a lousy bloody mutation this has been, I don't even have claws."

"Never give up hope."

"Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment." He quoted almost instinctively from the imperial creed.

It occurred to me that a silence had fallen over the council following Russ's speech and I glanced about, fearful that we had been overheard. We had not been. All eyes were on Angron, primarch of the World Eaters. The primarch addressed the council in a cold, collected manner that seemed almost absurd coming from the man renown for being a somewhat more martial version of Attila the Hun. "Russ, do the deaths of your men mean so little to you? My Legion has not been spared from the psychic… phenomenon. I despise the use of psykers; I believe that it is an act of unforgivable cowardice. But there is nothing more despicable in all of creation as a commander who turns his back on his own men."

This blatant attack on Russ's character prompted a flurry of shouts and small arguments among the primarchs and their delegations. The chaos continued for at least a full hour before the False Emperor, ever the peacemaker brought the council to order. "Enough! Russ, what you ask is both imprudent and nearly impossible. The psykers among the space marines are here to stay. Furthermore they shall be as a new facet of my wrath upon the enemies of man. Even so, you are correct that sorcery and all its practitioners walk the line between study and total damnation. And I shall not have my space marines, my champions; my bulwark against the terror shall not fall to chaos. Sorcery, in all its forms shall hereby be declared hereticus abominatus." I remember seeing Magnus's teeth clenched as the emperor spoke. "My holy agents shall be sent to probe the great legions and ensure the spiritual well being of all my servants. In the meantime all you here today shall swear to cease and desist all acts of sorcery and study thereof.

We all swore in the name of the emperor that we would abide by the new Edicts of Nikaea. As the two of us left I said to Ahriman, "Well, that turned out better then I thought."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey all, sorry i took a while with this one. Anyway:

Maugen- Thanks for clearing that up

Verystrangest- Keep in mind that the eye of terror has existed since The Fall. The light from the storm has had plenty of time to travel. If that doesnt do it for you, keep in mind that its a warp storm, it doesnt have to follow you're precious 'physics'

Emperor Bass- Hmm, I couldnt find anything on wikipedia about Jhonson being on Prospero at the time of Russ's exterminatus, but it does say that the two primarchs once fought each other, prompting the hatred between the two Legions/Chapters so I'll take your word for it. I suppose its too important enough to the history of the Thousand Sons to be left out eh? If you could point me to a place with a little background on the subject that would help a lot, I'd hate to look like i dont know what i'm talking about (any more then usual that is)

* * *

Chapter 4: An Unwelcome Guest

"Magnus, as distraught as he was over the verdict of the council ordered that the legion immediately discontinue the use of sorcery."

"But you didn't, did you?" Hablion sneered, "It was then that you first rejected the word of the emperor, and now you see what it has wrought."

"I look back at my past in sorrow, loyalist, but do not think for a moment that I regret my actions. We all saw soon enough, the true face of the Imperium."

"Get on with it heretic, for my part I cannot wait to cleanse this universe of your pathetic existence."

"Gladly, I could hardly envision a hell worse then being stuck in this room with you."

Prospero was a magnificent world in its time. But that was a very long time ago. Back before the exterminatus. Magnus and indeed, all the other legions were given twelve months, terran time, to purge our records and libraries of the lore that was so recently named "heretical." Magnus entrusted the task of sorting through the records and removing those articles, which were to be destroyed. Magnus, you must understand, had accumulated most of this lore with his own hands, and knew that it would take years for our entire _Legion_ let alone just our librarians to sift through. Magnus did so hate to destroy knowledge, dangerous though it was. Knowledge, you see, is power.

And so the task before us was not so much destroying the lore as it was relocating it. I imagine that the imperial agents would have sniffed out our ruse under more normal circumstances, but we were most fortunate.

Tizca the legendary city of light, the site of Magnus's great library, was a beautiful city in its time. Grand towers and glittering white marble pyramids rose up like mountains of stone. Wide, sweeping boulevards lined with all manner of flora native to the planet stretched as far as the eye could see. The day the imperial agents came to verify that our librarium was free the forbidden lore was a day of celebration among the people of Prospero. Not because of the presence, of course, but in spite of it. That was the first day the iboga trees bloomed.

The ibogas bloomed only once every two years like clockwork and always they marked a time of celebration. Unfortunately, I am no botanist, so I can only tell you so much about them. The spores they released were suspected to be low-grade hallucinogens, the kind that tribal shamans used to fall into ritual trances they also supposedly held mind-expanding qualities. However, the ibogas were a far more welcome sight to young lovers then they were to scholars and bookworms. At midnight thousands of couples gathered for what can only be described as a mass wedding with each couple standing under a single tree. Magnus had summoned me to be present in Ahriman's stead. Curiously, he did not say why his true chief librarian was not present.

"Magnus the Red, primarch of the esteemed Thousand Sons and son to our most beneficent, sagacious, and grand et cetera et cetera Immortal Emperor of Mankind. I am brother Arius, subservient to grand master Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists. I come on behalf of his excellency to ensure that the last vestiges of foul sorcery have been purged and that His word rings forever true in the ear of each and every stalwart soul in your legion." Arius's speech might have proven more effective had he not been addressing it to me.

"Your tongue is silver, brother Arius, but perhaps your words would be better directed at Magnus himself," I said gesturing to Magnus, who seemed more amused then annoyed by the messenger's misdirected reverence.

"Forgive me my lord, I pray that I have not offended you." Arius said, bowing low.

Magnus rolled his eyes, "Might I remind you that I am being suspected of heresy, nothing you could possibly say or do could offend me more than that."

"With respect. It is the emperor's will, primarch, now if you would kindly show me to the librarium."

"Certainly," Magnus said civilly, "but you must understand, our chief librarian is, somewhat… busy at the moment."

At the moment, Ahriman was indeed quite busy. He stood under one of the grandest iboga trees with what I can only describe as the most heart wrenchingly beautiful woman I have ever seen. A woman I would later know as Mary. I think I shall always remember how the moonlight shone down on her angelic form, on her deep, coffee coloured hair and skin and her luminous amber eyes. And so we three stood a respectful distance from the young couple as the lengthy ceremony progressed. I do not believe that Arius ever realized our plan.

For nearly two hours we stood there and by the time that Ahriman and his new bride were finished and they sauntered up to us Arius was barely capable of standing, the iboga spores had taken their toll on him. Having built up no tolerance to the hallucinogen the effect must have been devastating. His arms and legs quaked visibly, sweat poured down his head and his breath became panting and uneven.

"Ah!" said Ahriman grandly, showing not an iota of intoxication, "this must be the emissary of our great emperor, it is a pleasure, nay a privilege to meet you." Ahriman shook Arius's hand, nearly causing him to lose his balance.

"I…am here to inspect the librarium… under orders by the emperor himself."

"Of course you are, but first, take a deep breath, savour the scent of ibogas. They bloom so rarely you see, you have come on such an opportune day, very opportune indeed."

With that Ahriman led the baffled Arius off towards the librarium. When they were gone Mary turned to me, "Such a coincidence that the good emissary arrives on such an opportune day. Of course, there are no coincidences, only the illusion of coincidences." She gave a wry smile, "I may have to thank a certain my friend of mine for scheduling the visit when he did."


End file.
